THE FOUNDER'S OWN STORY 



OF THE 



Founding of Vineland^ New Jersey* 



BY CHARLES K. LANDIS* 



> ^^ \g *L ^ ^- 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

VINELAND HISTORICAL AND ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY, 

190:?. 



The Vinelani) Printing House -Print. 





CHARLES KLINE LANDIS 
About 1867. 



THE FOUNDER'S OWM STORY 



OF THE 



Founding of Vineland^ New Jersey* 



BY CHARLES K. LANDIS. 



rnii.i^iiEi) ijv THE 
VINELAND HISTORICAL AND ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY, 

1903. 



4— ^•■^►- ► - 



The Vinelani) riUNTiMi IIoisE Piunt. 



Introductory* 

Among the private papers of the late C'harles K. Landis, which, in accordance 
with his Will, have recently come into the possession of the Historical and Antiquar- 
ian Society of Vineland, and which are held by this Society as among its most 
important and valued archives, was found the following very interesting sketch of 
the first steps taken, and of his first year's experiences in the Founding of Vineland. 
It would be scarcely possible for any other hand, though of a ready writer, to set 
forth so graphically and so vividly, the story of this unicjue settlement, itself so un- 
like anything the world had ever before seen, in its plans, its purposes, and its 
a 'hievement. It is due to the memory of this remarkable man, much misunder- 
stood as he was in those early days, that this frank record of his secret thoughts and 
motives, as of his i^ublic acts, should be given to the public substantially as it came 
from his own hand. It was evidently written off-hand, in pencil, and bears no 
marks of subsequent revision. 

When this was written in 1<S82, after 21 years, Mr. Landis was already able to 
see, and had seen, with the natural eye, as before he had seen as in prophetic vision, 
bi illiant and beneficent fruits of his great work. Indeed it was his remark in later 
years, that he always saw it from the beginning, just as we others see it now. Such 
was his profound faitli in himself and in the soundness of the principles uiion which 
he built. In this narrative of the events of 1861-2, he has introduced but few allu-. 
sions to the later resulting conditions of which he might justly be proud. No one 
ever more truly "made the wilderness to blossom as the rose." Of no other could 
it more appropriately be said, "If you would see his monument, look around you." 

Vineland, N. J., Oct. 13, 190.S. 



P. 

PuW 



THE FOUNDING OF VINELAND 



AS TOLD BY THE FOUNDER 



My experience in the^foitnding of Hammonton, a place covering 
about 5,000 acres, led me to believe that with a larger tract of land I 
might carry out my purposes. These were, to found a place which, to 
the greatest possible extent, might be the abode of happy, prosperous, 
and beautiful homes; to first lay it out upon a plan conducive to beauty 
and convenience, and in order to secure its success, establish therein the 
best of schools, — different branches which experience has shown to be 
beneficial to mankind; also manufactories, and different industries, and 
the churches of different denominations; in short, all things essential to 
the prosperity of mankind; but, at the same time, under such provision 
for public adornment, and the moral protection of the people, that the 
home of every man of reasonable industry might be made a sanctuary of 
happiness, and an abode of beautj^ no matter how poor he might be. 
In fact, I desired to make Vineland so desirable a place to live in by 
reason of its varioHS privileges, and over all to throw such a halo of 
beauty as would make people loth to leave it, and, if they did so, would 
draw them back again. With all of this I desired to get enough money 
out of it to cover my expenses for advertising, and public works, and 
leave me a reasonable competency besides. I never expected or particu- 
larly wished for a large fortune out of it, but I did most earnestly wish 
for a firm enduring success in attaining the objects herein set forth. 

Before founding this colony I examined various places, knowing 
that location in relation to market, climate, and health, were of vital 
importance. I visited tracts in the upper part of the State, also different 
places in the West. I wanted land more adapted to fruit than to grain, 
because, to grow grain and stock would require much more capital than 
to raise fruit, and the rate of profit on stock would be much smaller.' 
In short, fruit-culture was better adapted to the kind of town and col-l 
.ony that I wished to found; — it would give more opportunity for people' 



8 

of small means — more chance to make beautiful and profitable homes. 
I derided in favor of South Jersey, because the soil, climate, and loca- 
tion, were best adapted to ni}^ objects. A better soil for fruit than the 
oak lands of New Jersey cannot be found. The climate is peculiarly 
temperate, and mild in winter, far more so thanin New England, giving 
us the advantage of an earlier and longer season in which to send our 
fruit to market by R. R. Then, the immense city of Philadelphia was 
at our door. The healthfulness of the place was beyond question. 
What is life worth without health! As I intended to stake my own 
health and fortunes upon the success of this colony, I was perhaps all 
the more careful upon this point. 

I learned that Richard D. Wood, an eminent merchant of Philadel- 
phia, a Quaker, was the owner of a tract of 1 8 or 20 thousand acres of 
land on a new railroad just completed to Millville. This railroad had 
been surveyed by a 3^oung engineer of my acquaintance, Geo. B. Rob- 
erts. I called upon Mr. Wood in Philadelphia, and explained to him 
my design in full. Instead of considering it Utopian, he appeared to 
enter into and appreciate the idea, and said that he was particularly in- 
terested in the actual settlement of his wild land, in order to afford the 
people of Millville an opportunity to get supplies of market produce. 
I explained to him fully my design of selling the land to actual settlers 
onl}', and not to speculators. This was in the earh' Spring of 1861, 
just at the time when the black clouds of war were beginning to lower 
darkly over the horizon of our country. One evening we — Mv. Wood 
and m^'self — started from Philadelphia by railroad, to visit Mr. Wood's 
tract. We went as far as Glassboro by the West Jersey R. R. , and 
thence by the new road then called the Millville and Glassboro R. R. 
which Mr. Wood himself controlled. The train consisted of an engine 
and one small car. I think there were about three passengers besides 
ourselves. After a slow run we got to Millville in the dusk of evening. 
I stopped at a hotel kept by a Mr. Wescott. Mr. Wood stopped at a 
house in charge of an overseer. In the evening I found that the town 
was a small and poor place. The streets were not paved and had no 
sidewalks. The}^ were deep in sand, and pigs were allowed to run at 
large. The houses were .small frame Ijuildings, old and dilapidated. 
The place looked as though it had been finished long ago. The next 
morning I got up earh-, and went out before breakfast to see the town, 
and seek information about its shops, lumber yards, and other facilities, 
as I knew that it would have to be the Ixise of operations for our ;;up- 
plies for several years to come. I walked up the street, and noticed a 
man taking down the shutters from an oyster .saloon. Thinking tliis a 



9 

good opportunity for a talk with him, I walked up and requested an 
oyster stew, which he made with a spirit lamp. I soon got a great deal 
of the information I wanted, when he commenced telling about the for- 
lorn condition of Millville. Said he, "It is a miserable place to live in, 
as we have no vegetables except what they bring by the wood shallops 
from Philadelphia, — no potatoes, no cabbage or turnips." "How 
about fruit?" "That is something we scarcely cxp ;ct. We never see 
a strawberry, pear, peach, or apple, unless we go to the city." "Why 
do 3-011 live here ?" "Because I do not know how to get away. lam 
making a living here, such as it is, but I hope to get away before long." 
Rising from my seat, I said, "My good man, do not despair. It will 
not be long before you will have in this town an abundant supply of 
vegetables and fruits, all you want, all kinds, not by the small box, but 
by the wagon load. You will have the finest of fruits, strawberries, 
raspberries, grapes, pears, apples, all kinds in their season, peddled 
thro' the town, and offered from door to door." Who is going to do 
all this?" "I am going to do' it." I walked out, and after I had got 
some distance I looked back and saw the man standing in the street, 
looking after me, wiping his hands upon his apron. I can see him now. 
I wonder what he thought. This was a Mr. Wells, afterwards Mayor 
of Millville. I knew enough of the land and of Mr. Wood to feel per- 
fectly certain that I should commence the work. 

Going back to the hotel I saw six or seven men standing in front of 
the door. It was not yet open. I asked someone what was the matter. 
The reply was that the}' were waiting for their bitters. A man from thi.s 
crowd crossed the street and came over to me where I was standing and 
wanted to know if I were Mr. I^andis of Plannnonton. I replied, "I 
am." "I heard," said he, "that you came down with Dickj^ Wood," 
as he called the polite and even venerable old gentleman, "and I wish 
to give you a word of warning." "What is it?" "Well, he is verj'- 
.sharp, and if he gets you into his clutches he will hold you hard to anj^ 
contract you make." "Will he keep his contract ?" "Oh yes, but he 
will make you keep yours." "Then I am not afraid. I shall make no 
contract that I am not willing to keep." I afterward found Mr. Wood 
an excellent man to do business with, and I also bought property to the 
amount of many thousands of dollars from this very man who would 
have sent me away with a warning. 

That day Mr. Wood drove me over his tract. I had seen enough 
in the railroad cuts, coming down, to convince me that the land was 
very good, and this exploration confirmed my opinion. We dined at 
the house of Wm, D. Wilson, at Forest Grove, He, in partnership 



lO 

with Mr. Wood, carried on a lumber -business at that place. He evi- 
denth- looked upon me with suspicion, after he heard that it was my 
design to build a cit)- and improve the < country. His mind could not 
take it in. He could not be blamed. 

Upon m>- return to Philadelphia I found that Mr. Wood was dis- 
posed to be slow and cautious. His price was exorbitant, to begin 
with, at that time — ten dollars per acre without the timber. I decided, 
however, to humor him in the negotiations; not to hurry but to call 
upon him every daj-. After I had been to see him every day for a 
week, he decided to visit Hammonton which he did in company with 
his son Richard. He was more than pleased, — in fact, astonished to 
see a beautiful place produced in so short a time out of the New Jersey 
wilderness. It convinced him that I possessed some capacity in that 
line. He then requested me to go over his tract of land with him 
again. This time I stopped at his house. His wife was there. In the 
evening she asked me to describe how one of the avenues in my pro- 
posed colony would look after it was finished. I described it to her as 
faithfully as I could. The next morning, after I got into the buggy 
with Mr. Wood, he said he had a little matter to tell me. Said he, 
"My wife awoke me about half past two o'clock this morning and .said 
she wished to caution me against making any agreement with you, as 
she is afraid you are of unsound mind, owing to your description of the 
avenue last night. She said she had no doubt of your sincerity. But 
what I wish to say, Mr. Landis, is, that our people, inexperienced in 
business, have no conception of what can be done. When you talk to 
me of the grand possibilities of enterprise, it is all right, as I have seen 
a great deal myself, in my time," (he might have said, truthfull}^ that 
he had done a great deal.) "and I would suggest to you that when my 
wife, or my partner, Wm, D; Wilson, asks you questions, you had 
better not give them any more than their minds are prepared for." 

The trouble in Mr. Wilson's mind resulted from a question he 
asked me one da}', when we were going up together in the cars. Along 
the line of the railroad there was at that time a great deal of swampy 
land, covered with water, and looking impassable. Turning to me he 
said, "Mr. Landis, what do you propose to do with this land ?" "Drain 
it all," I replied, "and reclaim it. Along the railroad, on both sides, 
vv'here we are now going, I intend to make a good carriage road after 
the land is reclaimed." He said nothing in reply, but told Mr. Wood 
that I must be demented in thinking of such an impracticable under- 
taking. It was afterwards done. 

Puring the progress of the negotiation Mr. Wood several times 



II 

suggested that 1 should commence operations, and the details of the 
agreement should be settled afterwards. M}- reply was, that I "should 
not commence one move until I had a written agreement." 

'' Fnally he suggested that we should see his lawyer, St. George 
Tucker Campbell. This we did, and explained the nature of the agree- 
ment that was wanted. Mr. Campbell half listened, constantly inter- 
posing objections, raising difficulties and starting questions directed to 
Mr. Wood and m}-self. I kept out of it and allowed Mr. Wood to do 
the talking. After about two hours we left, and as we went out of the 
door Mr. Wood remarked, "Mr. lyandis, if we are ever to have an 
agreement we have got to make it ourselves, without the lawyers." 
He then requested me to write such an agreement as would suit me and 
bring it to him the next day. This I did and left it with him. The 
day after I called, and he said it was satisfactory, with the exception 
of one word. He wanted the work "wood" substituted for "timber." 
I agreed to take the landat^y.oo per acre, without interest for three and 
one-half years, he reserving the timber, which I was allowed to have as 
wanted, by the appraisement of three disinterested persons. If I had 
had the cash, no doubt I could at that time have bought the land for 
much less. I had naeans, not at that time available — not great, but 
which I afterwards put into the enterprise. My available cash was 
about $500 in gold, which m)- mother had saved up, and which she 
handed over to me cheerfull)', without question or hesitation, with a 
mother's faith and devotion. With this amount I was to commence 
ooerations upon my favorite doctrine of "Pay cash as you go." Some 
may say, a difficult problem to carry out with so small a sum, and so 
rash an enterprise, yet it was done. The agreement was signed in 
July, 1 861. 

The principles that I designed should govern my enterprise for all 
time to come, if possible, were clearly defined in my mind and I decided 
to make them an integral part of each written contract, so far as it 
could be legally done. These were, to sell under improvement stipula- 
tions, to the effect 

That a habitation .should be erected within one year on each plot of 
ground sold. This was done to insure the success of the place; to bring 
business, and insure the establishment of all the concomitants of civili- 
zation — stores, churches, schools and manufactories. 

That at least two and one half acres of land should be cleared and 
cultivated each year; 

That the houses should be set back at least seventy-five feet in the 
country, and twenty feet in the town, in order to afford room for flowers 



12 

and shrubben^; 

That shade trees should be planted along the entire front of each 
place within a year. This was done for beautN^ shade, health, and to 
afford a harbor for birds, which I regarded all important, as against 
insect enemies in a fruit country 

And that no man should be required to btiild any fence, and that 
where it was done it should consist of a hedge, or a good board and 
picket fence. I wished to do away with the necessity of fencing, owing 
to the enormous expense of building fences and keeping them up. This 
would not only save fencing but would prove conducive to good agri- 
culture by the saving of manures. The improvement also would not 
only build up the city and country, but act miitually to the benefit of 
each improver, and insure an increase in the value of his property; and 
while each man would stand independent and alone, at the same time 
the whole thing would be co-operative. 

In the center of the tract I designed a model town of a mile square 
for residences, business, and manufacturing purposes, which would be 
a center of trade, and all sorts of conveniences to the entire colon)-, and 
a home market. 

The whole tract was a wilderness of a forbidding aspect; no beauti- 
ful parks, but oak of second or third growth, pine and brush, all of 
which had been swept by fires. The lay of the land was graced b}^ no 
pleasing diversity of surface; it was level, with sufficient roll for drain- 
age — about nine feet to the mile — but many miles were covered by 
small streams and swamps that needed to be drained. That it had no 
population was a positive advantage, as it lessened the opposition I 
would meet with in my plans. Yet there was a population to a certain 
extent, of wood choppers and charcoal burners who lived around in log 
cabins with clay floors, a people as simple, and almost as barbarous in 
their habits as though they lived a thousand miles from Philadelphia. 
The policy of all the landholders had been an extremeh^ selfish one, 
opposed to selling small holdings for fear of depredations upon their 
timber, which really was of no great value. This narrow view kept 
the people degraded, and the country a wilderness. These wretched 
people worked for only fifty cents a daj^ paid in orders on the stores at 
Millville. Their supplies usuall}^ consisted of pork, whisk)^, and tobacco 
and an occasional calico dress for wife or daughter. Tlie)^ owned no 
land. There were scattered upon the tract several persons who did own 
land, but they possessed very little. Mr. Wood had started a clearing 
of 300 acres upon the Main Road and had erected a house in which 
lived Andrew Sharp, a farmer whom he had selected to run the business. 



13 

My plans for laying out the place had already been matured. Along 
each side of the railroad there was to be an avenue loo feet wide; 
around the mile square, avenues IOC feet wide; Landis, Chestnut and 
Park Avenues, to be loo feet wide from Malaga Road to Main Road, 
all lined with a double row of shade trees; the streets in the town to be 
66 feet wide; the farm roads 50 feet wide; all to be lined with shade 
trees, and the roadsides to be seeded to grass to keep down noxious 
weeds. The roads were to be laid out as nearly at right angles as was 
practicable. I rightly expected that this would make one of the most 
beautiful places in the country, and that the lack of natural scenery 
would be made up by the labor of art. This result was to be reached 
after the planting of orchards and vineyards, shade trees and miles of 
hedges. 

Intending to make it a vine country, I called it Vineland. I de- 
cided that, if possible, it should be free from taverns. I thought that 
this might be accomplished in the start, with an industrial population. 
In fact, I did not see how the people could succeed without temperance, 
as well as industry. The labor to be done in the clearing of the Vine- 
land tract was something stupendous; and besides this, a living was to 
be made. I knew that, for 5-ears, rich people would not come to such 
a banquet as this, where they would not be permitted to buy on specu- 
lation. It was therefore important that people should have the full use 
of their health, strength, and faculties, that the}' might be able to labor 
with all their might, and eflQcientl3^ and also be happy in their homes, 
with all of which liquor sadly interferes. In fact, I had never known 
a sober man to be a pauper. I also knew that the temptation to drink 
would be much stronger in a new countr}- than in an old one, and that 
wives and families would be terrified if the evil of drink were to be 
added to the trials they would be called upon to endure. In .short, I 
intended to fight this battle of the wilderness with sober men. I fully 
appreciated the magnitude of the work before me, the clearing of miles 
upon miles of wild land, the draining of miles of swamps, the building 
of many miles of roads, the organizing of churches, schools, societies, 
and industries; in short, planting in this dark and forbidding wilderness 
the industries, the arts, and even the elegancies of civilization, and do- 
ing it at once It never entered into my head to be long about it, but 
yet to stick to it, whether for a short or long time, until it was done. 

I advertised for a surveyor, and engaged a tall vScotchman who 
brought satisfactory references. ^My preparations necessarily required 
.some little time, after which, on the evening of the 7th of Augu.st, 
1861, I left Philadelphia to start this work. On the train there were 



14 
perhaps a half dozen passengers. Before we got to the nearest regular 
station, Forest Grove, I desired the conductor, who was also one of the 
lessees of the road, to let us off at an old wood road that led to the farm 
of Andrew Sharp, and thus save us 7 or 8 miles of walking. This he 
refused to do in a most peremptorj' manner. I then stated to him my 
business. He simply looked at me, shook his head and left me. And 
yet my work was to bring his road more passengers, and more business 
than any other upon the line for many years to come. We had to get 
off at Forest Grove station, and start upon our walk of six miles. We 
did not get to Sharp's farm until after dark. As we walked up to the 
house several dogs flew out at us, which soon brought the people of 
the house to the front. The Sharps w^ere at least glad to see us in their 
lonely isolation. That night I engaged several choppers for the next 
day. 

On the morning of the 8th of August we were up early. It was a 
beautiful, clear day, but very warm. I had shown my plan to the sur- 
veyor the night before, and I had noticed that he was silent. Now, 
before starting out, he was disposed to give me his opinion, which was 
to the effect that my plan was not practicable. That I had laid out the 
streets and roads uselessly wide, and upon such a scale that nobody 
could ever be made to believe that it could be carried out; and that the 
design was far too magnificent for the country, or the opportunity He 
would advise doing away with the mile square for the town plot, and 
make it much smaller; and instead of ignoring the old wood roads of 
the country, he would utilize them by selling land upon them, and save 
the expense of opening new roads; also, that if anybody should be found 
willing to buy any of the land, he would advise the selling it without 
any improvement stipulations. He would not exact them for fear 
that it would prevent sales. I replied that a magnificent design would 
add value to the property, and that the stipulations would give assur- 
ance to people that it would be carried out. His ideas were conven- 
tional, and sounded wise and prudent, but were such as would surely 
fail. I saw that he had no faith in my enterprise, and looked upon it 
as the visionary scheme of a dreamer. 

We breakfasted early, and were taken to the railroad by Mr. 
Sharp, within about three quarters of a mile from the point I wished 
to strike, which was the center of the tract. On reaching that point I 
moved a little farther south where the ground was higher, and then 
directed the stake to be driven for the center of I,andis Avenue and of 
Vineland. From this point running eastwardly, Landis Avenue was 
surveyed and opened by clearing the ground 100 feet wide, but some of 



15 
the best trees were left along the side:^, for shade'.. This was the begin- 
ning of the grand avenue ten and a half miles long. When the instru- 
ment was properl}' adjusted, and a right angle taken to the line of the 
railroad, the line was started, which was the beginning of all the work 
since done in Vineland. As the surveyor was sighting through the 
instrument, an old man came along the railroad, and looking at us 
curiously, said, "What are you doing? Building a railroad?" "No," 
I replied, "I am about to build a city, and an agricultural and fruit- 
growing colony around it." "What do you say?" I repeated my 
answer and then said, "At this spot I am now opening a grand avenue 
a hundred feet wide, and around here in a few years you will see built 
hundreds of houses, dwellings, churches, school houses, stores and 
factories, and around the town an agricultural country, where products 
will be grown adapted to this soil and to this climate. The streets will 
be lined with shade trees and hedges, and I know that it will be one of 
the most beautiful places upon the face of the earth." He simply 
stared at me, and said nothing, but kept moving off. When I had 
stopped speaking, he went up to one of the workmen named I,oder, and 
talked very earnestly to him. I afterwards learned that he strongly 
advise i Mr. Loder to get his pay as often as possible, for he was sure 
that the man, (meaning me) was crazy. Not to digress, I shall merely 
add that that man lived to see all that I had said fulfilled. 

During the week, though my force was small, the work progressed 
rapidly. I had carefully reflected upon the question of labor and wages. 
In deciding this question I first considered what was right; next, what 
was best for the proposed colony, and what was best for the laborer 
himself. I believed that labor inadequately paid was bad for every- 
body. It would keep the laborers in a condition of squalor, and make 
the place appear by no means prosperous. What would a man think, 
if, when he asked the price of labor he should be told that it was 
fifty cents per day? I decided to pay one dollar per day in god, 
upon which at that time the premium was very small. At the end of 
the week, instead of giving the men orders upon the stores at Millville, 
at the rate of fifty cents per day, as they expected, I paid them 
in gold at one dollar per day, at that time the current wages else- 
where in civilized places. They were much astonished, and two 
of them did not want to take it, saying that the clerk at the store 
knew better what they wanted than they did themselves. This will 
scarcely be believed. It shows the depth of the ignorance that then 
existed in this wilderness I remarked that it was time they had learned 
the use of money, and paid them. Low wages are decidedly injurious 



i6 

to humanity. It degrades all, rich and poor, giving one class more 
than sufficient for their needs, encouraging luxury, selfishness and self- 
conceit, at the expense of the other class who are robbed and impover- 
ished, and deprived of all opportunit)^ for self-improvement. My colony 
was not made for a class; but in all things I adopted a polic}' which 
would comprehend the whole. I also felt that in this way I would gain 
co-workers. 

I made no attempt to advertise or to sell land until my avenue 
should be opened to Main Road, then called Horse Bridge Road, a dis- 
tance of a mije and a half. I employed myself in getting up the first 
number of the Vineland Rural, 2a\^ on my map, having it drawn off 
from my own outlines. In the latter work I was greatly anno3'ed at the 
unfeigned astonishment of my surveyor, and his sarcastic questions and 
remarks. I felt, however, that I might reasonably expect a good deal 
of this for sometime to come, and I hoped that as he saw people buying 
land and improving it after a while this would wear off. I also engaged 
in the buying of some pieces of land, lying within the bounds of my 
tract, which Mr. Wood did not own. Those who had such pieces of 
land were anxious to sell. John M. Moore of Clayton had about 800 
acres, which I bought on mortgage. He afterwards said that this sale 
started him in business. He also consented to act as my agent in New 
York, he having an office there. I was occupied with these matters 
until October, when I inserted my advertisements in several New York 
papers, and went to Vineland to take up m^^ residence there and per- 
sonally manage my work. 

Owing to his strong recommendations and assertions of what he 
could do, I then engaged a man to sell land as an agent. This man 
was highly recommended to me b_v an old friend, and as he was ac- 
quainted with property holders in South Jersey, I thought he could 
help me in buying up the exceptions — that is, the small tracts within 
the boundaries of my purchase, held by other parties. As a general 
thing those parties were anxious to sell, and no wonder. There had 
theretofore been no demand for the land, except for wood. When I 
purchased from Mr. Moore his anxiety to sell was amusing. From the 
time I saw him he never let go of me. He invited me to his house at 
Fislerville (now Clayton) to stay all night. The next morning he 
took me to Philadelphia to the office of his conveyancer, and never let 
me go until the papers were all made out and executed. I humored 
the thing on the principle that the time to strike is when theironis hot. 

Before advertising, I had the postoffice established at Vineland. I 
first made the necessary application, and was refused on the ground of 



17 
having no population. I then went to Washington and saw the Second 
Assistant Postmaster General, but I could not move him, as he said the 
department had to be economical. Going back to Willard's hotel, I 
there met Robert Tyler, son of President John Tjder, whose acquaint- 
ance I had made in Philadelphia. I explained to him my failure, when 
he said that the Second Assistant was a personal friend of his, and that 
he would go back with me. The next morning we called there. The 
official explained to Mr. Tyler the absurdity of establishing a postoffice 
in such a wilderness where there were no people. Turning to him Mr. 
Tyler said, "It is no wilderness since Mr. Landis has resolved to build 
a city there. He has it in his head, and all he has to do is to transfer 
it to the land. He is the man who founded Hammonton — an enterprise 
I should have counted among the impossibilities had I not known of it. 
From what he tells me I am sure that Vineland is a much greater 
affair." I was amazed at Tjder's remarks, and still more so at the 
effect it had upon the official. He at once withdrew his opposition, 
and said that he would give me the office if I would agree to pay twenty 
dollars per year toward the expense of mail carriage, which I did. I 
wa;; then appointed postmaster. 

I had at this time Landis Avenue opened through from the railroad 
to Main Road. I then got out my paper, the Vineland Rural, and in- 
serted a short advertisement in the Boston Journal, the New York Her- 
ald, and the Public Ledger. 

I then went to Vineland for permanent business, and engaged rooms 
of Andrew Sharp at his place on the corner of Main Road and what is 
now Park Avenue. I had the room in the northeast corner, and the 
rooms opposite I had for my maps, and business table, and the draught- 
ing board of the surveyor. I began soon to get letters which I would 
answer, and to all correspondents also I sent the Vineland Rural. 

Mr. Wood had become quite impatient to see something done, and 
often asked when the work was to begin. I answered that it was going 
on; but, like any outsider, he of course could not see what I was doing. 
Finally, a little Englishman came down from New York. I took him 
to Sharp's farm, showed him \\\y maps and explained my objects. The 
next day I went out with him and sold him some land on the Boulevard 
near Oak Road. He wanted his deed at once. I drove him dovvii to 
]\Iillville and had the deed signed by Mr. Wood and his wife, who were 
both there. I paid Mr. Wood his portion, and kept the balance. Under 
my arrangement with him I was to pay him a certain amount per acre 
for every deed he signed, luitil I had paid him enough to take a deed 
myself. I shall never forget his look of astonishment as lie received 



this money. He was astonished at the whole transaction — to think that 
a man should come down from the state of New York, and purchase a 
piece of this land for cash! At the close of this transaction he said 
that he would accompany us to the Sharp farm. When we got there 
he took Mr. Sharp aside an J had a long conversation with him. Sharp 
came into the house laughing. I wanted to know what about. After 
enjoining me not to repeat what he would tell me, he said that Mr, 
Wood told him about the sale just made, and charged him to help and 
facilitate Mr. Landis in ever}^ possible way; for, said he, "He must be a 
great man. ' ' Such was the effect produced by the first sale. 

I now asked the lessees of the railroad to build a platform station 
at the L-andis Avenue crossing, to land my passengers. The lessees 
refused, as they had no confidence in the enterprise; — did not believe 
that a station would ever be required there, or that it would ever do 
business enough to get their monej- back. Finally I had to furnish the 
few dollars' worth of rough lumber to have the platform built. I think 
I also built it. 

I was now very much anno3'ed by the want of confidence on the 
part of my surveyor. He evidently thought it a'chimerical scheme to 
build such a place as I contemplated in this South Jersey forest. I 
looked upon this want of faith as an impediment in my way. He was 
also exceedingly consequential with strangers — a thing I very much 
dislike. Assumption in my view is not only the concomitant of a small 
mind, but also of a small heart. It was important for me to have the 
conditions around me all right, as I was working up to that most diffi- 
cult point, getting a start. I had a number of people coming down, 
'nit after Mr. Colson's purchase it was difficult to make sales. There 
vas such a desolation in the appearance of the place that the idea of 
"locating in such an unattractive locality sickened people. 

iMnally, a Capt. Post came from New England, and bought 60 acres 
of land opposite Sharp's farm, on a new road which I was then opening 
and which in honor to him I called Post Road. He paid me cash, and 
t;iis enabled me to make a strike which I had contemplated for .some 
time, to give my .settlement a start. I had noted my best workmen, 
and found out who of them understood farming and gardening, and 
proposed to them to buy ten acres each, offering at the same time to 
furni.sh them lumber and a carpenter to build for each a small house, 
payable on long time. This proposal astonished thtm so much that at 
first they held back, but I had gained their confidence by paying cash, 
and by the work they saw going on, and they soon fell in with it. This 
started a number of homes in different places, so that when I drove my 



19 
visitors around the tract the}' would here and there see a new improve- 
ment going on, which gave the thing a look of reality and business. 

Capt. Post decided to build at once, and this also was a great help 
to nie. I sent for a builder at Hammonton, and another at Millville, to 
make estimates. The talk of the Hammonton man afforded great 
confidence, as he had seen what I had done at Hammonton, and his 
faith in me was unbounded. It appeared to place me in the position of 
an already victorious general. These builders arrived in the afternoon, 
and after supper went out for a walk together. When they returned I 
noticed Packard, the Hammonton man, enjoying a hearty laugh by 
himself. I desired to know what the fun was. Said he, "Mr. Laudis, 
that man was quite overcome with astonishment and fear when v/e 
walked along Main Road and came to lyandis Avenue. Looking at that 
avenue loo feet wide, he said such a road would not be needed for a 
hundred years, and that you would l^e stopped, I asked him how you 
could be stopped from building on yoi\r own land. He replied that you 
must be stopped; that there were plenty fools in Millville, who would 
be wanting to imitate every improvment, bv you call it, that you should 
make?" It afterwards turned out that therc^ were a good many such 
fools! 

I kept pressing on and pushing my business, and visitors increased 
in number. Sharp's farmhouse was crowded, much to his surprise. 
When there were more ladies than there were beds for, I always gave 
up my room and slept downstairs upon the floor, rolled up in a buffalo 
robe. I would have slept out of doors on the sharp edge of a plank if my 
success required it. Moreover, the example enabled Sharp to fill his 
floors all over, with people with much less grumbling. My engineer, 
being of no use to me as a salesman, owing to his utter want of faith, I 
had to shoulder the spade myself, and attend to all the visitors. I think 
that for some time my daily walk might average twenty miles. I found 
that I could talk the obstinacy and opposition out of a visitor much 
more easily if I walked him down tired. I soon discharged both assist- 
ants, and engaged a young engineer by the name of Jones, whom I had 
employed at Hammonton after Brown had left on account of ill health. 
Brown is now chief engineer of the Penn. R. R. Jones was as full of 
faith as Packard; never talked about his family connections or self- 
sacrifices in coming to Vineland, but had a practical idea of his business 
which he had acquired at Hammonton. 

In selling land I had a standard rule, which was, to sell to a visitor 
the best location I had for the objects he had in view, and to make the 
sale and improveni'^nt of the good locations sell the less valuable. In 



20 

this way property was certain to rise in value in the hands of the piir- 
chasers. Tliey were sure to make good reports, and that would bring 
a yet more rapid increase of population. I noticed however that many 
who bought land were not farmers, but I thought they might learn. 
vSlill, there were some that I should have refused to sell land to had I 
known them as well as I have since, by the light of subsequent experi- 
ence. Yet even these did well. Their property increased in value 
greatly, and they could sell out to advantage, getting something over 
and above what they paid me. This was uniformly the case and there 
was no change until after the speculative rise in the value of improved 
places, years after. I now sought to make sales of the farm lands onlj', 
making no effort to sell town lots. I thought it advisable to turn the 
wild land into farms first, in order to give the town some support. 
Lumber and goods began to come in by railroad, but I was greatly em- 
barrassed for the want of a station. The railroad lessees still pretended 
a lack of faith. 

The place was also in great need of a blacksmith. I arranged for 
onr: to come from Philadelphia, but he changed his mind. I then 
made airangements with a man from Vermont, and located him on 
Main Road. He bought lumber for his shop and bought his tools, 
While he was at work, starting his place, .vome old Jersey teamsters 
came along, and asked him what he w^as doing. When he stated his 
business, the}- wanted to know who he expected would want black- 
smith work in such a God-forsaken place as that. They so discour- 
aged him that he moved away with all his lumber and tools. He was 
panic-stricken. Nothing that I could say could change him. He left 
V^ineland the next morning. 

About this time came Capt. Holbrook, of Massachusetts, an old 
ship carpenter who had been upon a man-of-war, liad also commanded 
a vei;-el of his own, and had traveled largely over the world. When 
he got up to Sharp's farm he was very angry. He said that he ex- 
pected to see an improved country in.stead of a wilderness. In fact he 
was a raiher high-tempered old seaman. I pacified him as best I could, 
assuring him that I would pay all his expenses if he did not like the 
place before he left. At ihis he calmed down entjrely. After being 
around a few days he came up to me and said, "Mr. Landis, I wish 
you to locate me twenty acres of land. As you are better able to judge 
of the future of the place than I am, I leave it to you to select the 
kcation." I selected for him a piece of ground in a high situation, 
south) side of Landis Avenue, near Valle}' Road. He paid me ^20. per 
acre for it. He afterwards sold a part of it for $500 per acre. After 



he had taken his agreements and made his payments, I asked him how 
lie came tu purchase, after having been so dissatisfied as lie wa-s at 
first. He said, "After a tew days' observations I saw plainly that you 
are in cirnest, and mean business. I veiily believe thar in time you 
will make \'ineland a successful and prosperous place." Tne.se were 
words of real encourag-ement, and I valued them highly. How blessed 
is a word of good cheer in the struggle of a great effort; and yet how 
necessary it often is to struggle along without it. 

As a contrast to tlie conduct of the frank and confiding old sailor, 
I shall mention another experience. One evening there arrived a lady. 
She wasaione. Her figure was tall and angular. Her face was sallow, 
and there were two projecting teeth. Her hair was black, worn in long 
curls. She was dressed extravagantly in black silk and flounces, and 
wore a profusion of gold chains and rings. She was a maiden lady of 
about forty summers, very airish, and full of talk. She represented 
herself as from Georgia but originally from Maine, and as possessed of 
a large amount of property in both states. After she had been at 
Sharp's some dgys noticing different people buying, she was seized with 
the fever, and requested me to locate tor her a five acre lot and a fortj' 
acre lot, upon which she said she would erect handsome buildings in 
order to give me a start. I thotight that for so good a woman, and .so 
kind, I ought to do my best; so I ordered Mr. Packard, whom I had 
appointed an agent, to sell land for me, to show her forty acres at the 
N. E. corner of L,andis Avenue and Main Road, and five acres at the 
corner of L,andis Avenue and East Avenue, at $20 per acre, locations 
which have since become of very great value. Packard went out with 
her and did not return until late in the afternoon. My first question 
was "Have you sold her a place ?" "Yes." "Where?" "Out of 
the world." "How is that ?'* "I first showed her the locations you 
directed me to show her. Aiter looking at them she then requested 
me to shovr her a location as far in the opposite direction as I possibly 
could. vShe said it was her way to first get the advice of a party inter- 
ested in a thing, and then to go as far opposite as possible. I have sold 
her a tract of land about two miles west of the railroad, and on an 
avenue south of Eaiidis Avenue, directly in the wilderness." 

I ihonght at first it was a joke; but v/hen I came to .see her, and 
advised her to take the locations first shown her, she cut me short in a 
most peremptory manner, and insisted upon taking the land .she had 
selected. She paid her money, received her deed, and at on:e com- 
menced the erection of a house. But this was not the end of it, as I 
^tterwards foijud out, before the next season was over. 



22 

I did not always have people around, affording me the pleasure and 
CKcitenient of selling land. There were many days and weeks during 
that long and tempestuous winter when nobody came. My correspond- 
ence and postoffice duties were not sufficient to keep me occupied. To 
say that I never had moments of depression when I looked out of my 
wiiidov/ upon the boundless stretch of wilderness before me, would be 
simply untrue. The southeast winds at night would often howl around 
tl'e corner of the house where I slept, sounding like wailing voices of 
ill omen and mockery. I knew that there was not a human being in 
the world upon whom I could lean for assistance or encouragement, and 
the financial responsibities I had assumed were simply enormous for 
me, and for that matter for almost anybody. I had others dependent 
upon me, and as I listened to the dismal sound of the wind, and thought 
of the possibility of no visitors coming to buv land, I would be struck 
almost by an icy chill. The greatest relief I found was in prayer, 
though few would have suspected me of religious proclivities. But I 
always had, and have, an abiding faith that God hears prayer, and in 
b-neficence. There may be many things in this world that we cannot 
understand; but perhaps its calamities may even look to us as of small 
importance when we look back upon them from the immortality of the 
great hereafter. If the reader of this should be in dire distress or mis- 
fortune, if he has not done so, let him try the consolation of a silent 
and secret prayer, and he will see if he does not rise from it with re- 
newed strength, determination, and powers of endurance. 




Officers 

OF THE 

Vineland Htstorical and Antiquarian Society, 
I903-J904. 

President. 
Edwin C. Bidwei^l, M. D. 

Vice President. 

Prof. Marcius Willson. 

Secretary and Treasurer. 

Frank D. Andrews. 



